Employability is a widely used term in the labour market lexicon. Yet there is no consensus on how the concept should be applied and a fog of ambiguity surrounds the term. Making employability ‘work’, however, is essential not only for younger people to access and sustain work but also for addressing skills shortages that plague many developed economies. This article positions the employability concept in relational terms and highlights the importance of effective information flows across the various labour market stakeholders. Employability is a shared outcome and responsibility even though individuals’ skills and knowledge is the foundation of employability. Empirical data from a major New Zealand labour market research programme is used to support contentions.
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